The topic of the African swine fever and its potential impact on the meat market, initiated by the Chairman of the of the Subcommittee for Monitoring the Agricultural Situation in Marginal - Least Developed Areas of the Republic of Serbia - Areas with Difficult Working Conditions in Agriculture Milija Miletic, was discussed by the attending state secretaries at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management and representatives of the Ministry of Domestic and Foreign Trade, Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Head of the Veterinary Directorate and Head of the Agricultural Land Directorate. It was pointed out that the Veterinary Directorate has been, via veterinary organisations in the field, monitoring the health situation and conducting constant supervisions of the African swine fever in the domestic and wild pigs population throughout the territory of Serbia, employing intensive measures to prevent the spread of this infectious disease.
State Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Veljko Odalovic informed the Committee members about the measures taken to improve the situation, stressing that the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management has visited a large number of farms.
1,068 cases of African swine fever have been confirmed in Serbia by the end of July, on more than a thousand farms throughout the country, said Committee Chairman Marijan Risticevic, adding that the disease was caused by a virus.
MP Milija Miletic also spoke on the topic, asking the representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management about the measures undertaken since 2019 to tackle the problem caused by African swine fever. Miletic was interested in the results of the work of the Operational Headquarters for the Prevention, Suppression and Eradication of African Swine Fever, chaired by Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, with the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Jelena Tanaskovic as Deputy Chair. The Operational Headquarters set up by the Serbian Government comprises representatives of the competent ministries, Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Committee, professional public, the police, the army and the Ministry of the Interior Emergency Management Sector.
The developments concerning berry fruit market in Serbia and export markets and the situation in agriculture following the extreme weather and crop insurance were discussed by representatives of the competent ministries and the Committee members.
The attending also discussed the consequences and damage caused by the June floods, which are still being assessed, stating that around 60 local self-government units had suffered enormous damage. Chairman Risticevic said that there has been a blockade of some of the biggest buyers and exporters of raspberries, who are not satisfied with this year's purchase price, while the cold storers claim that they cannot offer a higher price due to last year's losses. In that regard, the raspberry growers turned to the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia, so that the state would help them in some way.
Following a lengthy discussion, the Committee members formulated conclusions on the considered items on the agenda, by majority vote.
The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairman Marijan Risticevic, and attended by the following Committee members and deputy members: Marko Ristic, Milija Miletic, Momir Stojilkovic, Dr Nenad Mitrovic, Miroslav Aleksic, Milica Obradovic, Zoran Sandic, Dejan Ignjatovic, Ilo Mihajlovski, Veroljub Matic, MA Akos Ujhelyi and Milovan Jakovljevic.
